The only thing on my Christmas list this year (and most years, let’s be honest) was books. One of the books on my list with shiny stars next to it was Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Fortunately for me, I must have misbehaved just the right amount as I found this book under the tree on Christmas morning.
To begin, the physical book itself, which I have in hard back, is gorgeous. Cover, binding, and boards are beautiful. The endsheets look like delicate lace, which I’m pretty sure gave me heart palpitations. Throughout the book, the chapter titles are called out in a traditional graffiti font, which adds the most charming flair. From cover to cover you can tell that the team that created this book was thoughtful about every detail. And I am a lady who appreciates that detail. This book is lovely enough to sit on your coffee table year round.
Now, what about the actual content of the book?
Well, that’s pretty remarkable, too.
It is impossible to read this book and not feel a spark of the undeniable energy that RBG has brought to her life and work for decades. The authors walk through her youth, schooling, career, and notable court cases and distensions. It also relays Justice Ginsburg’s pluck as she continues to press forward, mentally and physically, despite everyone expecting her eventual decline.
Filled with photos, notations, sharp writing, scans of documents and other artifacts, this book is an RBG treasure trove. Their isn’t a page that doesn’t look stunning and blow you away with as it is dropping knowledge all over the place. Timelines help to place events as you work through the book and the dissection of some of RBG’s texts make reading them feel approachable.
Overall, there isn’t anything I don’t love about this book. I wanted to rave about this show stopper in honor of the release of the biopic of the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg, On the Basis of Sex. Add that film to your watch list and this book to your read list. You’ll be glad you did.